AMPS 2011: Media maintaining, even growing, in tough times

The South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) released the results of the 2011 All Media Products Survey (AMPS) this week with the overarching message that despite financial pressures, and the fact that the outlook might not have been rosy, but it certainly wasn’t all gloom and doom.

In a nutshell, the print medium is “reasonably positive” with newspapers and magazines maintaining their readership bases. Television is booming with individual TV stations and satellite platforms attracting “significantly more eyes in 2011”. Adults are tuning into radio and community radio is definitely growing in strength. Out of home advertising has declined, probably due to a “revision of the frequency options and the wording of questions for this medium”. Cinema showed a “significant decrease” in attendance.

Highlights of the report

SAARF warned that this AMPS release “uses the new 2011 population updates from IHS Global Insight estimates. These updates, which see the adult 15+ population growing by 2.7%, have had a significant impact on the AMPS Dec 11 results”.

In total, the 15+ population has increased by 2.7%, from 34.02-million to 34.934-million, with a number of demographics changing because of this.

And it recommended that the industry “carefully examine these population changes, bearing them in mind when dealing with changed audience results”.

Personal data

Average household income is R8 612, up 5.3% from R8 175 in AMPS Jun 11. This is ahead of inflation. In general, there has been an upward movement for household income groups, which have not been adjusted in this release.

Three groups showed statistically significant change over the previous survey:

The R800-R1 399 household income group declined significantly, from 12.0% to 11.1%.

The R1 400-R2 499 group declined from 12.9% to 11.6%.

The R20 000+ group increased significantly over the last AMPS release, rising from 11.7% to 12.6%.

LSM 1-4 is significantly down, while LSM 5-7 has grown. The top end of the market, LSM 8-10, remains stable.

Media audience/print

Newspapers and magazines have maintained their readership bases over the previous AMPS release, with both showing improved levels at the six-month filter, although these claims of readership have not translated into a boost in average issue readership.

In total, 65.8% of the adult population aged 15+ reads a magazine or newspaper publication. Repertoire is slowly slipping, with slightly fewer titles per reader.

Media audience/digital

Readership on digital and mobile platforms is significantly up, but still accounts for only a fraction of total readership. Only 3.8% of adults claimed to have read a print title online (up from 3.3% previously), while 1.8% said they read a title on a cellphone (up from 1.4%).

Media audience/Newspapers

In total, newspapers have maintained their reach, with readership of any newspaper holding firm at 48.9% (17.072-million readers aged 15+). While average issue readership remained stable, there was a significant increase in readership at the six-month filter, with more people claiming to have read or paged through a newspaper title in the past six months (83.2%) than they did in AMPS Jun 11 (80.8%).

Mirroring the trend seen in newspapers in general, the daily and weekly paper sectors grew their six-month readership, while average issue readership stayed solid.

– The Citizen’s readership figures have now exceeded the half-million mark, at 508 000, up from 379 000 a year ago. Gains were seen in the 35+ market, in urban areas, and in LSM 8-10. The price drop has worked for them.

– Zulu-language tabloid, Isolezwe, is steadily creeping towards the milestone of one-million readers. The publication’s readership is currently 912 000, up from 756 000, with a reach of 2.6% compared to the 2.2% of AMPS Jun 11. Gains were seen in KwaZulu-Natal and Durban, and amongst females. The paper’s Sunday issue shows signs of following this trend, with an up-trend coming through in its figures.

– The first 12-month figures for The New Age are in: a reach of 0.1%, with 39 000 readers.

– Following a sharp decline in the previous AMPS release, the Super Saturday Citizen has recovered some of the readership it lost in the previous AMPS release. The paper is up from 0.1% in AMPS Jun 11 to 0.2% currently.

– The Cape newspapers have remained wholly consistent, with the exception ofDie Burger (Saterdag). The paper grew its average issue readership from 0.7% previously to 1.1%, up in thousands from 226 000 to 386 000. Gains came through specifically in small urban and rural areas, the Western Cape, the 50+ market, and in LSM 5-10.

Media audience/magazines

Overall, magazines continue to command a 50.5% reach into the local adult market, with a total readership of 17.624-million.

On a six-month filter, significantly higher readership was picked up: from 66.3% in AMPS Jun 11 to 68.0% in the current release. This readership did not however, translate through to average issue readership.

Across most frequencies, magazine readership remained stable.

– Average issue readership of any weekly magazine: 25.5%, with 8.9-million readers, although with declines in large urban areas, Gauteng and LSM 8-10.

– Average issue readership of any fortnightly magazine: 11.7%, with 4.091-million readers. Gains came through from Limpopo.

– Average issue readership of any monthly magazine: 37.8%, with 13.198-million readers. There were gains in Limpopo and declines in Gauteng.

Dish/skottel’s readership has grown in line with subscriptions: AMPS measures 1.2 readers per subscription. Reach has increased from 11.0% to 11.9%, with gains especially in the Western Cape, amongst males and LSM 5-7.

Readership of the Financial Mail has declined, from 0.6% in AMPS Jun 11 to 0.4% currently. Losses came through from small urban and rural areas, the Northern Cape and LSM 5-7.

Garden/Tuin Paleis: up from 0.5% to 0.7%, with increases in small urban and rural areas. Despite heavy proliferation in the gardening/home magazine sector, most titles have maintained their readership.

Media audience/television

AMPS Dec 11 brings more good results for television, as the medium continues to extend its influence. While total weekly TV viewing remained stable at 90.8%, most TV stations and platforms showed significant growth over the previous AMPS release.

South Africa’s four terrestrial channels – SABC 1, 2, 3 and e.tv – are all up by nearly a million viewers each, even if, in the case of SABC 1 and e.tv, total reach isn’t up.

Pay TV is finding its way into more and more homes: 27.0% of households have a pay-TV subscription, up from 24.3% in the previous survey. There is slightly more viewing of M-Net as a channel, while DStv continues to charge ahead, with TopTV making some significant gains of its own.

– SABC 1: trending upwards, with reach now at 79.1%, with 27.645-million viewers per week. The station grew especially in large urban areas and the Western Cape, in the 25-34 age group, and in LSM 5-7.

– SABC 2’s weekly reach has risen significantly, from 68.4% in AMPS Jun 11 to 70.7% currently (24.684-million weekly viewers in total). Growth came from small urban and rural areas, and the Northern Cape, Limpopo, and North West provinces. There was also growth in the 15-34 and 50+ age groups, and in LSM 5-7.

– SABC 3: from 55.4% to 57.4%, with 20.041-million viewers in total in an average week, up in urban areas, the Western Cape, the Northern Cape, 35+ and LSM 5-7.

– Viewership on the M-Net channel has grown from 6.1% to 6.5%, with gains in the Western Cape.

– Total DStv is up from 23.7% weekly reach in AMPS Jun 11 to 26.3%, with 9.198-million viewers. The satellite platform has seen growth across both urban and rural areas, the Western Cape and Johannesburg, across all ages, and in LSM 5-10. Excluding the terrestrial channels, DStv’s weekly reach is 25.1%, up over the 22.5% reach recorded in AMPS Jun 11.

– Total TopTV: up from 1.1% to 1.6% reach in an average week, with 551 000 viewers, an increase of just over 200 000 weekly viewers. Gains came through from large urban areas, the Eastern Cape and Johannesburg, as well as the 15-24 and 35+ age groups, and LSM 5-10.

– Total Community TV’s weekly reach has grown from 6.8% in the previous survey to 8.1% currently, with 2.846-million viewers. Viewing increased in both urban and rural areas, the Free State, Limpopo and North West provinces, in Pretoria, in the 35+ market, and LSM 5-7.

Media audience/radio

Total weekly radio listenership has grown significantly over the previous AMPS release. On an average week, the medium now reaches 92.7% of all South African adults, up from 91.9% in the previous survey (growing especially in East London and in the 50+ age group).

Behind total radio’s growth was a significant rise in listenership in the commercial and PBS sector: from 89.0% to 90.0%, with increased listenership seen especially in the 25-34 market.

While not showing statistically significant gains, the community radio sector is nonetheless trending up, with gains in Limpopo but losses in Johannesburg. Weekly reach is 25.9%.

These Joburg losses are likely due to the adjusted population figures used for this release of AMPS. Jozi FM, for example, is down in thousands, although its reach remains stable.

Media audience/out of home

AMPS Dec 11 marks the first 12-months’ worth of data that comes off the changed AMPS questionnaire for the out-of-home sector.

On top of the revision of the frequency options and the wording of questions for out-of-home media in the Jan-June 2011 AMPS period, the recall material shown to respondents during the interview was also changed considerably, with new out-of-home signs being added.

The significant changes seen in out-of-home exposure in this release have most likely been driven by these questionnaire changes.

In total, exposure to any out-of-home advertising on a seven-day basis is down. Demographics driving this decline were both urban and rural areas, the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, age 34+ and LSM 1-4.

AMPS Dec 11 marks a new benchmark level for billboards. The new outdoor section now includes streetpole ads and suburban signs, asking separately about exposure to these formats. Exposure to billboards ‘proper’ has therefore dropped significantly. Before the questionnaire change, billboards’ seven-day exposure was 70.7%, in AMPS Dec 10. With the introduction of the changes, billboards’ exposure fell from 64.4% in AMPS Jun 11 to 57.9% currently, with declines in both urban and rural areas, in all provinces except the Eastern Cape, across all age groups, and across all LSM groups.

SAARF believes that in previous surveys, respondents were claiming streetpole ads and suburban signs as billboards. If you add the current figure for these two formats back into the figure for billboards, you will get approximately the same level measured in the AMPS Dec 10 release.

Media audience/internet

Once again, the results for Internet access show the onward march of digital in South Africa. Internet access is significantly up, notably in small urban and rural areas. Growth is being driven by the 15-34 age group and LSM 5-10, across all time filters.

– 17.0% of all adults accessed the internet in the past seven days, up from 15.5% in the previous release. There are now 5.94-million internet users in an average week.

– 19.8% of adults accessed the net in the past four weeks, up from 18.0% in AMPS Jun 11, with 6.93-million users

Carina Calitz

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